nemesis
Americannoun
plural
nemeses-
something that a person cannot conquer, achieve, etc..
The performance test proved to be my nemesis.
- Synonyms:
- Waterloo
-
an opponent or rival whom a person cannot best or overcome.
-
(initial capital letter) the goddess of divine retribution.
-
an agent or act of retribution or punishment.
noun
-
Greek myth the goddess of retribution and vengeance
-
(sometimes not capital) any agency of retribution and vengeance
Discover More
By extension, a “nemesis” is an avenger. One's nemesis is that which will bring on one's destruction or downfall.
Etymology
Origin of nemesis
< Latin < Greek némesis literally, a dealing out, verbid of némein to dispense (justice); -sis
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His nemesis was more than a rival—he was a symbol.
The professional rivalries are real, as J.D. finds when his hiring as Sacred Heart’s new chief of medicine gains him a nemesis in Joel Kim Booster’s wonderfully shady Dr. Eric Park.
From Salon
And David plays Lincoln’s nemesis, Stevie Nichols, the very successful former partner of Lincoln’s late mother, upon whom the son remains perversely fixated.
From Los Angeles Times
But it may well be his one time political ally and occasional political foe becomes his nemesis.
From BBC
A turbulent climate always has been the nemesis of Highway 1’s splendor.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
